Barrel hoop



Jan. 22, 1952 C, c STUEWE 2,583,190

- BARREL HOOP Filed April 28. 1948 30 Irz7 /NVE/V T01?. CLARE/VCE C. STUEWE Patented Jan. 22, 1952 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE BARREL Hoor' Clarence (l. Stuewe, Cleveland, Ohio, assigner to The Greif Bros. Coo'perage Corporation, Cleveland, O hio, ai corporation f Delaware..

Applicationdprll 28. 1948, SerialNo. "i ,$'t2` ly Y This invention relates to improvements in barrels, kees, or the like. and more partlcularlyto an improved end hoop therefor.

As is well known to those versed in the art,y it is common practice to makebarrels or legs which comprise a body made of staves that are held in position by hoops. The ends. of. the barrels are closed by heads which are engaged in a groove running around the interior of the barrel, spaced from the end known as the croze, the head being held in place by an end hoop whchuengages the exterior of the staves and holds l them inward with the edge of the head seatedin the croze. The hoop is held in place by nailsor staples which are driven through the stares and usually penetrate the edge of the head.

The assembly otthehead on the. barrel is accompanied with some difficulty, usually requin ing the services of one having a particular skill in effecting the saine. l

Thev hoop is usually a closed band of` steel which is of smaller diameter at one end than the other, the same being shaped to conform to the` slant of the barrel wall which tapers from the bilge to the end.

' When once assembled, the.w edge of the staves may extend unprotected beyond thehhoopl and, in any event, the inner surface ofthe. ends oi the staves, known as the chime, is without protection, Since the barrels are customarily Istored ontheir ends, there is a tendency for the chimes andends to accumulate dirt and to become mutilated.

Not only is it diicult to eiect the closure, but it -isY also diilicult to open the barrel. The nails, or staples, may be withdrawnA and the hoop removed, but this allows the staves t0 Spring apart and often results in a loss of contents." It is customary to knock the head olfv the barrel in to obtain access to its contents. This results in the head being splintered and oftenfalling into and contaminating the contentsof the barrel. Barrels opened in this manner are usually so mutilated as to make their reuse impractical;

By my present invention, I4 aml able to make a closure for a barrel which enables the same to be used by persons without particular experience or skill. The hoop is such that the .barrel staves are pulledgently but rmly into close fitting` engagement with each other. The inventionalso prevents the head from falling into the barrel during assembly. After assembly, the hoop not only holds the head and the stasi/.es in position but so cooperates with the staves and head as .to se.- curely hold itself` in position without the need ofA realms. (ci. zii-89) used, the staves andy the headA are never split. The hoop protects theedges of the staves. preventing moisture from entering the porous ends, guarding them against damage and' preventing` them from being'damaged. dirt or ex` traneous matter which accumulates on the hoop may be easily wiped off.

When it is desired to open the barrel. the hoop may be loosened suiiiciently to allow the head to be easily lifted from position, but thel structure is such thatrit still retains engagement'with the staves and does not allow theml to springapart, with the resultant loss of contents. Furthermore. the hoop is so designedhthatthe head willnotordinarily accidentally fall into the barrel whenv it is loosened but may be removed without conf taminating its contents.

With ordinary use, the barrel may be reused over and' over again and still'remain illy 'a tight and satisfactoryv condition, Furthermore, the hoop of my invention is such that it is usable with conventional barrels and heads.

Still other advantages of the invention, and-the invention itself, will become more apparent from the following description of an 'embodiment thereof which'is illustrated by the accompanying drawings and forms a part of this` speciiication.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a, fragmentary perspective view of` the upper end of a barrel withV the hoop of myinvention in place; 4

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary enlargedview. taken through the edge of -a barrel and showing in sec, tion the manner in which the hoop of my invention ycooperates with the stavesfand head; and- Fig. 3 is any enlarged fragmentary elevational View showing a form ofsecuring device for-the hoop and showing in dottedline certain features which'would otherwise behidden.

As best shown in Fig. l, vthe barrel may be of conventional form and comprlsethe usual staves l0 which are heldin position lay-hoops such as I I which may be conventional. The staveata'per from the bilge I2 toward the end in a manner well known.

The head is illustrated las being formedin sections I3, the edges being formecl wedge shaped as shown at I4, Fig. 2, adaptedffor engagement vin the croze I5 which isvdisposedaroundthe inner ends of the staves spaced fromthe ende by the slanting surface I6 called the chime. The structure so vfar described is conventional andai; common practice to those versed-in the. eooperage art.

'thev hoop .0I my iaventionrcomprls'es a, soli@ nails or staples. Since no nails or staples are channeled band, having a croie lent and heldin Q Y ij 2,583,190

place by expansible and contractible means which bridges the ends.

As best shown in the gures, it comprises a channeled member which is split at 20 and in cludes an outer skirt 2| shaped to conform to the outer surface of the barrel staves. It is provided with a bight 22 which extends over the ends of the staves IB. y I-t then extends downward at 23 over the chimel 6 and is provided with a V-shaped croze seat 24. The croze seat conforms closely to the contour of the croze.

Below the croze seat 24, an inwardly extending flange 26 is provided, this flange extending continuously with the hoop around the inside barrel except for the split. 4

Secured to the hoop spaced from the ends are a pair of bosses 21 and 28 having bores '2V-28. A bolt 29, having a head 30, extends through the bores in the bosses with the head engaging one end of the boss 21. The other end of the bolt is threaded at 3l for the reception of a nut 32, which nutengages the outer end of the boss 28.

In operation, the bolt may be of sufficient length so that, with the same in place, the ends 20 of the hoop may be spread apart suiiiciently that the wider, lower, openedge of the channel may be readily slipped over the free edges of the staves, thecroze seat 24 snapping into the croze on thestaves. u

The head may then be set on the flange 2S, where it is supported priorr to tightening of the hoop. Next, all thatneedbe done is'to tighten the vbolt 29, which varnayf be done with a screw driver or a wrench, l

It will be noted th the' assembly consists of but a few simple consecutive operations and that there is not the difficulty of holding the head in place while the Ahoop is being applied. The operations may loe-performed without hammering and the danger of splintering the wood, which splinters might fall in to the container.-

It will be noted that the bolt and its connectiony to-the bosses on the ends of the hoop causes the skirt 2ll to be contracted, which contraction is transmittedto the exterior of the barrel staves. 'Ifhis causesthe-svtaves to be pulled inward and tightly together f ,l y

The croze I5 and the croze seat portions 24 of the hoop are then-pushed inward against the edge of the head which causes the head to seat securely in the croze seat. The hoop being made of metal, the wooden parts, ifdisplaced by com pression, merely1 follow-the vcontour of the metal which thus causes amore -eiective seal. The hoop not being .ofxeddia-meter, as ordinary hoops, `.can thus be contracted tighter, and the greatest force is centered at the point or along the line where the greatest force is needed. namely, in a line passing through the apex of the croze intoathe ba'rrel head. Therefore, there is no undue force placed on the rim of the barrel at the chime,although;this portion is also forced inwardly. securely but notvsufcient to cause a strain which mightotherwise result in breakage of the chime above the croze. A -It willthus be seenthat protection is afforded 'fonthe-edge of the barrelnand the chime; that theseating-of -the parts is such that all the cracks are closed', lpreventing outward seepage of the 4contents-or,inward seepage of water, dirt or other foreign material.

Preferably,;the hoop is made of such a length that when the ends-arel brought into abuting relation, the desired seating of theparts is effected. assmwain, #Innerer/.ea lime? be desirable 4 to have a portion 40 shown in dotted lines which is sized somewhat smaller than the other end of the hoop and is adapted to extend under the other end in telescoping relation. This part would not necessarily have the croze seat on the flange thereon.

It will further be noted that there are no nails or staples needed to hold the hoop in place, and that because of the interlocking engagement of the parts, they are held more securely in place than staples or nails would be, and cannot be removed accidentally without loosening' the bolt.

The usual bead that is provided on hoops may also be omitted, thus providing a more smooth exterior surface which cannot as readily be caught on extraneous objects. Y

This structure also facilitates the shipping of empty'barrels because the head is quickly and easily assembled and removed. The barrels may have the heads in place even when empty, which prevents contamination of the inside of the barreL When it is desired to remove the head, the bolt need merely be loosened; the hoop expands and the parts become loose enough so that the head again rests on the flange 26. The head may then be lifted off the ange without the use of special tools and without breakage.

Although I have shown a preferred and simple form of fastening means for the ends of the hoop, it will beI appreciated that many other forms other than that shown may be used without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention.

Furthermore, the placement of the bosses which receive the bolt, although preferably opposite the croze seat can be varied and they may be raised or lowered from the position without materially affecting the invention in its broader aspects.

Having thus described my invention, I am aware that numerous and extensive departures may be made therefrom without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention as defined inthe appended claims.

I claim:

l. In combination with a barrel or keg having staves with a croze provided adjacent the ends thereof and a head for engagement in the croze, an end hoop for said barrel comprising a metallic member extending around the outside of the barrel, over the end of the barrel staves and across the chime and formed with a croze lining portion and a flange below said portion .extending inwardly, said hoop being divided transversely and means secured to the hoop adjacent the ends for looseningand tightening the hoop, a barrel head disposed with-its edges resting on said iiange and adapted to be engaged with the croze engaging portion of said hoop.

v 2. In combination with a barrel or keg having staves forming the side of the barrel, the inner ends of said staves being formed with a croze and a chime, a hoop formed with a skirt surrounding the staves around the end of the barrel and being turned over the edge of the barrel and extending downward inside of the staves to cover the chime and having a portion contoured like and adapted to engage in said croze below the chime and a ilangefextending inwardly toward the axis of the barrel below the croze engaging portion, said hoop being formed with separable ends, and means lsecured to the hoop adjacent the ends for contracting and expanding said hoop on the barrel.

3. In combination with a barrel or keg having staves forming the side of the barrel, the inner ends of said staves being formed with a croze and a chime, a hoop formed with a skirt surrounding the staves around the end of the barrel and being turned over the edge of the barrel and extending downward inside of the staves to cover the chime and having a portion contoured like and adapted to engage in said croze below the chime and a ange extending inwardly toward the axis of the barrel below the croze engaging portion, said hoop being formed with separable ends and having end portions for overlapping sliding engagement and means secured to the hoop adjacent the ends' below the edge of the barrel and outside thereof for contracting and expanding said hoop on the barrel.

4. In combination with a barrel or keg having staves forming the side of the barrel, the inner ends of said staves being formed with a croze and a chime, a hoop formed with a skirt surrounding the staves around the end of the barrel and being turned over the edge oi the barrel and extending downward inside of the staves to cover` the chime and having a portion contoured like and adapted to engage in said Croze below the chime and a ange extending' linwardli toward the axis of the barrel below the croze engaging portieri, said hoop being formed with separable ends, and means secured to the hoop adjacent the ends for contracting and expanding the said hoop on the barrel, a head for said barrel supported on said flange when the hoop is expanded, and means to contract said hoop for engaging the staves and pulling them tightly together and said head having a Croze engaging portion engaged with the croze portion of the hoop to seal the barrel when the hoop is contracted.

5. In combination with a barrel having a side portion and being formed with a groove extending around the inner periphery adjacent the end, a hoop compressing a channeled member formed to extend over the edge of the barrel and extending from the edge toward the center of the barrel for a distance on each side of the edge, the inner portion of said hoop being formed with a V- shaped portion for engagement in said groove, a head for said barrel having an edge formed for engagement with said V-shaped portion, said hoop being divided to provide movable ends and means in engagement with said ends to expand and contract the same.

6. In combination with a barrel having a side portion and being formed with a groove extending around the inner periphery adjacent the end, a. hoop compressing a channeled member formed to extend over the edge of the barrel and extending from the edge toward the center of the barrel for a distance on each side of the edge, the inner portion of said hoop being formed with a V- shaped portion for engagement in said groove and a flange disposed below said V-shaped portion and extending inwardly, a head for said barrel having an edge formed for engagement with said V-shaped portion, said hoop being divided to provide movable ends and means in engagement with said ends to expand and contract the same, said hoop formed to pull the end ci the barrel into tight engagement with said head with the V-shaped part between the and groove and said flange disposed for supporting engagement with the head at all times.

7. In combination with a barrel or keg hed/ingl staves forming the side of the barrel, Vthe inner ends of saidstaves being formed with a eroze and a chime, a hoop formed with a skirt surrounding the staves around the end of the barrel and being turned over the edge of the barrel and extending downward inside or" the staves to cover the chime and having a portion contoured like and adapted to engage in said croze below the chime and a ange extending inwardly toward the axis of the barrel below the Croze engaging portion, said hoop being formed with separable ends, and means secu-.red to the hoop adjacent the ends ior contracting and expanding the said hoop on the barrel, a head for said barrel supported on said flange when the hoop is expanded, and means on the exterior or" said hoop opposite to said eroae engaging portion to contract said hoop for engaging the staves and pulling them tightiy together and said head having a croze engaging portion engaged with the croze portion of the hoop to seal the barrel when the hoop is contracted.

CLARENCE C. STUEWE.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the le of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 922,292 King May 18, 1909 997,620 Herr July 11, 1911 1,307,765 Swift, Jr. June 23, 1919 1,320,924 Robinson et al Nov. 4, 1919 1,424,661 Lynn Aug. 1, 1922 1,480,689 Michaels Jan.'15, 1924 

